diprotisen

Diprotisen is a fictional chemical compound used in educational contexts to illustrate crystallography and mineral classification. It is described as a di-ionic layered mineral composed of alternating phosphate (PO4) and silicate (SiO4) tetrahedra linked into two-dimensional sheets. The sheets are charged and balanced by divalent metal cations such as Mg2+ or Fe2+.

There are no verified natural specimens of diprotisen. It appears only in theoretical discussions, classroom demonstrations, and speculative fiction that employ a stylized mineral to illustrate crystal-chemical principles.

In its standard model, diprotisen forms a layered framework with relatively strong in-plane bonds and weaker interlayer interactions. Predicted crystal systems include monoclinic or orthorhombic depending on arrangement; typical unit cell parameters are used in teaching examples. As a fictional material, reported physical properties vary, but serve to illustrate how layer-structured minerals behave.

Synthesis is described in teaching primers as hydrothermal or solid-state crystallization from precursors, followed by cation exchange to realize the di-bridged structure. Applications include use in textbooks and simulations to demonstrate crystallography concepts such as coordination, charge balance, and layer stacking.

See also hypothetical minerals; silicate minerals; phosphate minerals.